Is the Future of Comfort Collective?

As cities grow hotter and denser, the conversation around comfort must shift from individual privilege to collective right. This session explores how we can build climate-conscious cities that don’t just adapt to rising temperatures, but do so equitably.

Titled “Is the Future of Comfort Collective?” this panel brings together leading voices from architecture, urban planning, and climate science to examine what it means to design for comfort in a warming world, especially for those without access to air conditioning or formal housing.

From the technical frameworks of Prof. Rajan Rawal, who grounds design decisions in energy efficiency, microclimate modelling, and adaptive comfort, to Madhav Pai’s deep expertise in sustainable mobility, urban equity, and climate-resilient city systems at WRI, and Sheila Sri Prakash’s pioneering work in integrating ecology, cultural context, and human behaviour into architectural design, the discussion aims to bridge research, governance, and practice.

The merit of such collaborations lies in their ability to connect dots across academia, policy, and design execution, shaping cities that are not only cooler, but also fairer and more future-ready.